Beyond Advertising How Douyin Turns Stories into Sales
Live commerce used to be one of the easiest ways to sell on Douyin. Now, its grip is starting to weaken. Average viewing time for livestream shopping sessions
It recently formed strategic partnerships with JD.com and Alibaba, launching the “Red Cat Plan” and “Red Jing Plan.” To grow its community e-commerce, Xiaohongshu also introduced a new feature called the “Blue Link in Comment Section.”
Today, having a Xiaohongshu strategy is essential for every brand. If you want to succeed in marketing, you need to know how to use Xiaohongshu effectively.
Marketing expert Kuang Ren will now break down the Top 10 practical SOPs (standard operating procedures) for success on Xiaohongshu.
On Xiaohongshu, success comes from promoting hot-selling single products (SPU), not the brand itself. For example, instead of advertising “photography services,” promote a specific product like “Christmas-themed photo shoots.” The more specific the product, the higher the chance it goes viral. This approach works across all industries focus on one standout product with a clear selling point.
Instead of just targeting obvious audiences (e.g. fashion lovers for clothing), Xiaohongshu allows brands to find new potential users using first-party data.
Tools like Yifang Data help identify overlapping interests and reach untapped groups. For example, the app Zhuanzhuan stopped promoting second-hand phones and instead marketed second-hand guitars, appealing to hobbyists in top-tier cities. The campaign theme “Adults can also have a three-minute passion” resonated deeply and attracted new users.
Key takeaway: Don’t rely only on direct interests use data to explore unexpected audiences.
After finding your product (SPU) and target users, the next step is to link your product to multiple real-life scenarios.
Use Xiaohongshu’s Lingxi platform to discover what else your audience cares about. These interests can inspire new content themes.
For example, Brand about pillows found that users interested in its pillows also cared about business trips, home life, parenting, and skincare. So they created content like:
Key idea: The more scenarios you create, the more ways your product can connect with users.
Xiaohongshu doesn’t rely heavily on top-tier influencers like other platforms. Instead of just looking at follower size or average stats from the “Pugongying” platform, focus on the quality of their branded content.
Tips:
1. Check branded post performance – Compare how their sponsored posts perform vs. regular content. Big gaps can be a red flag.
2. Check product integration – Good posts make the product essential to the content. Avoid creators who barely feature the product.
3. Budget allocation
Key point: Pick KOLs with strong, relevant branded content not just big numbers.
Successful Xiaohongshu content isn’t just about titles and covers. The winning formula is:
Product Highlight + Usage Scenario + Emotional Value
Example: Brand about headphones highlight features like bone conduction, waterproofing, and long battery life. They connect these with real-life use (morning runs, cycling, swimming, office breaks) and add emotional meaning:
Key idea: Great content starts with strong product features, but emotional storytelling makes it truly powerful.
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